Softwiring – What is it?

Softwiring, when talking about office fitouts and installs, simply mean power wiring that can be connected together to provide an easy way to get power to desk and work points, without the need to ‘hardwire’ (use an electrician) to get power to every desk.

Softwiring is particularly useful when getting power to desks that are in clusters of 2, 4 or 6 etc, as a single softwired starter can be used to facilitate power on all the work points in the cluster.

Softwiring is normally started with a Wall Starter Socket or Ceiling Starter Socket, which need to fit installed by an electrician. From there though, power can be run using the softwiring connectors to wherever it needs to go, by anyone.

It can be daisy-chained together in clusters of up to 8 work areas, and comes in a myriad of different configurations. For example, most desk spaces will need 4 GPO outlets at a minimum, however some may also require USB charging options. Hot desk set ups may only need 1-2 GPO outlets and a USB charger. Some installs might also require a wireless charging pad to be installed in the desk top – all of these options can be easily accounted for with softwiring.

Softwiring limitations – sometimes softwiring isn’t always the best answer – for example if desks will be facing walls with GPO outlets already on them, it makes sense to use what is already there. Also some desks are not designed to be used with softwiring – Slab end style desks for example do not allow for easy use of softwiring as there is nowhere to run the cables.

Talk to Workspace Systems today to get more information on softwiring for your project, what best works for you, and how it makes things more simple, easy and effective.